Two area schools net A on report cards

TRACI ANDERSON

Published 8:00 pm, Sunday, August 8, 2004

The Michigan Department of Education's school report cards, released recently on its website, brought some great news to elementary and middle schools in the Upper Thumb area. A majority of the schools received a 'B', and two received an 'A'. All of the schools made adequate yearly progress (AYP).

Because state law restricts the high school MEAP testing period to May, high school report cards will not be available until later this year.

Bad Axe Junior High School and North Huron Elementary School were two of 710 in the state to receive the coveted 'A' grade, something that definitely is not easy to achieve.

"The junior high has done an excellent job and has worked hard to improve the (MEAP) scores," said Bad Axe Public Schools Superintendent Jim Wencel, who noted that the writing scores especially have improved. The school received a 'B' last year.

Wencel added that the school became accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools earlier this year, which allows the school to easily do self-assessments and easily document items accomplished by the school that are required by the state.

In order to receive an 'A', a school must receive a composite score of 90 to 100 and must have made AYP. Currently, there are three components to the report cards (achievement status, achievement change, and school performance indicators) and all three are weighted almost equally.

Report cards for schools, part of the state Education YES! (Yardstick for Excellent Schools) program, and adequate yearly progress are Michigan's school accountability system, which is required by the No Child Left Behind Act. Sixty-seven percent of the composite grade is based on the school's performance on MEAP tests and 33 percent is based on self-reports provided by the schools. Last year was the first year for the report cards.

In order to make AYP, a school must attain the target achievement goal in reading and mathematics on the MEAP or reduce the percentage of students in the non-proficient category of achievement by 10 percent. A school also must test at least 95 percent of its students enrolled in the grade level tested. The school must meet other indicators, as well, such as a graduation rate of 80 percent and an attendance rate of 85 percent for elementary and middle school students (the graduation and attendance rate requirements will increase over time, but are not expected to reach 100 percent). These achievement goals also must be reached by various subgroups of students, such as students with disabilities and limited English proficiency, as long as there are at least 30 students in a subgroup.

Statewide, elementary and middle schools are doing better than last year, according to a press release from the Michigan Department of Education. The number of schools making AYP increased from 2,006 to 2,058. The number of elementary and middle schools earning either an 'A' or 'B' nearly doubled over last year's report card, rising from 1,109 in 2003 to 1,878 in 2004.

To view the report cards or for more information, visit the education department's website at www.michigan.gov/mde.